if it were august in MI .. i would suggest the first one was hail damage ...how current is that damage??? .. the eges are browned.. so it has to be a while back ...

the second pic is to blurry to understand what is going on ... any chance at a redo?

ken

Yes, it does look like hail, only it isn't. I'll take some more pics tomorrow. This has been going on for months. Started towards the end of summer. I can't detect any beetles or larvae.

I'm in Israel and the weather here is still quite warm this year. 20-22 and even 24 celcius at noon.

Two more pics:

There's this line of dots that eventually turns into a straight line that looks like a scratch. Seen it on manu of the leaves.

like this

Do you get a lot of strong winds there?

Only in winter, and this has neen going on since late August I think.

They look beat up but not eaten. Very odd.

They look beat up but not eaten

Yep: like wind damage.

...or a basketball court!

Neither wind nor basketball. I'm really at a loss here. Will give them imidacloprid. Maybe it's some bug that's nibbling them from the inside. Or maybe something too tiny for me to detect with my magnifying glass. Those leaves aren't battered but eaten.

ipm.. integrated pest management suggests you dont treat anything.. if you cant ID an actual pest to treat for ...

i think we are all suggesting a mechanical injury.. rather than pest or disease ... hail... bball ... etc ... as such .... treating with chemicals is not really a valid response ..

that said.. if this was some $500 specimen that i treasured.. i would probably do the same thing ... but again .... that said.. im not sure any privet would be on a list of such treasures ... lol ...

is there any chance.. you could just walk away ... and leave it alone??? .. a little random leaf damage isnt that big a deal ... imo ...

ken

Except for possibly the line of spots, all the other issues show physiological (mechanical) damage. And I'm not even convinced the line of spots indicate an insect problem (although they do present a little too precisely for random mechanical damage).

At any rate, the damage is not current (indicated by the browned edges) and not nearly severe enough to warrant any kind of insecticide. Ken's point about never applying anything until an identification is made is very valid. You can't know what to apply, when or how much until this is determined.

This is not a perfect world and plants will never have 100% blemish-free foliage!! What you have photo'd is no big deal and not worth treating anyway.

Repeat: no way is it mechanical damage.

I can't just walk away from half a dozen privet trees that provide the only privacy I can have in a small urban garden overlooked from all sides by neighbours.

Gardengal, re the line of spots - what insect could it be in your oponion? The spots are just the first stage, and later on they develop into what looks like mechanical damage but is not mechanical damage. I watch my trees like a hawk. Don't laugh but I actually touch the trees because I discovered that when you touch them up close you see things you never notice just looking from a distance.

Wintercat, since there are no insects that I am aware of that produce damage such as you have photo'd (excluding the line of spots), the only alternative is mechanical damage. And insects that might like to munch on Japanese privet are few and far between. They are much more likely to be affected by disease problems than insects. And the damage showing is not indicative of any kind of disease.

Since the leaves are still very much intact and doing what they need to do, I am not sure I understand your concern. It is not like the plants are dropping copious foliage or otherwise showing signs of any decline. They are fine.....with just a few slightly blemished leaves.

IMO, you are worrying about these unnecessarily.

I disagree with some of the above. It may not be an expensive specimen, but if it's a plant you love, it's worthwhile to save it. There's no reason you can't treasure even a $0.50 half-dead save from the clearance table from the dollar store. That's where one of mine started life...twenty years ago.

I note you mentioned you were in Israel, which is a bit beyond the experience of most (dare I say all?) of the posters here in terms of insects and diseases endemic to the area. Undoubtedly there will be cries of, "They're not that different," but yes, they certainly an be with multiple exceptions and oddballs.

In this case, I might consult a local authority. I'm not sure if you have something along the lines of University extensions or if your country has services where plant diseases and insects can be identified (the US states do). If they do, you can probably take a leaf or branch cutting there to be identified.

If not, a local nursery or any other plant expert...even a local plant store...might be able to help you.

"Don't laugh but I actually touch the trees because I discovered that when you touch them up close you see things you never notice just looking from a distance."

No laughter here. Touch, smell...these are things that can provide far more detail than most people think. Closeup inspection naturally provides a vast amount of information. In my case, I just notice color changes extremely well. Besides, I just like the way greenery feels and most of it sure isn't harmed by the occasional touch. Cosmos greenery is a downright pleasure.

"but if it's a plant you love, it's worthwhile to save it. "

I agree. But in this case, there is nothing to "save" it from! Plants do not keel over dead from a few insect munched leaves....even if that were the problem here, which I seriously doubt it is. The insects that tend to be problematic for evergreen privets are sucking insects - aphids, scale, mites, etc. Or a couple of boring insects. But in no case do any of these produce the sort of damage shown in the photos.

On the other hand, I don't think either of us are exactly experts on Israeli insects or what is or is not happening here. I certainly don't have an advanced degree in entomology with a specialty in Middle Eastern insects.

So a suggestion to see a specialist--or at least somebody with knowledge you and I lack--is hardly out of line, rather than urging the OP to sit and do nothing.

You and I are not all-knowing.

How can you be sure it's not mechanical damage? These things are outdoors.

Why would a pest come and tweak your foliage and not eat any of it? It's more likely that neighborhood cats frisk around in the middle of the night.

First shots in particular are absolutely where the leaves have been torn by something. Something that really doesn't seem at all likely to be a bug.

That's quite possible. But that stippled pattern, frankly, looks questionable. I'd rather be overprotective and have OP confirm there's no issue than be casual about it and have a plant OP seems to favor enough to post about with multiple photos be damaged or killed.

And cats can be repelled. :-)

As you just confessed, you don't have specific training in the area or a degree in the area, you fail the qualifications test you so often require of others when bullying them in an attempt to silence them with your dubious information.

As I've made my case and OP now has the information required to make a decision, I can adjourn the thread. Since once again, you seem to be itching for a battle, I'm simply going to leave you unfulfilled. Have a Merry Christmas and bless your little heart.

I suppose technically there are some insects that mechanically damage foliage without eating them, but this would be one very sloppy and unfocused pack of leafcutter ants. They forgot their leaves. :P

(I don't understand the fuss over the dots in a line. Take a sharp stick, drag it gently across a leaf, wait for it to scar up. Dots. In a line. Could be something else but it's not a special or unusual type of damage.)

I can adjourn the thread

Oh? How exactly?

Have to agree that you have been repeatedly calling statements of others made on this site into question without it being made clear that there is really anything solid behind your own claims.

(I don't understand the fuss over the dots in a line. Take a sharp stick, drag it gently across a leaf, wait for it to scar up. Dots. In a line. Could be something else but it's not a special or unusual type of damage.)

Yes. The entire syndrome actually doesn't, in fact, look like a pest.

Oh? How exactly?

You I'll answer--once, since you're clearly taunting a bit. By not coming back. And now I'm shutting down responses to the thread so I don't see anything further, not that I would anyway for the remainder of the evening.

Have to agree that you have been repeatedly calling statements of others made on this site into question without it being made clear that there is really anything solid behind your own claims.

Advising somebody to seek local advice on local insects that aren't on the same continent when nobody here is a local expert simply makes sense. And it makes sense to get a local opinion before applying a pesticide.

We're talking Israel, not Indiana. In this case, I'm far less inclined to trust any opinions not originating from the same general area just because...well, that's obvious. I'd rather see a specialist in parasites of Africa if I've just been to Africa, for obvious reasons.

"repeatedly"

Disagreements happen.

ETA: I'd written a lot more but...eh, forget it. It's not really worth it and you've frankly been kind of unpleasant yourself and don't merit much of an explanation.

If asked nicely--which of course I never am--I'm happy to supply my references. When name-called and screamed at and threatened with Houzz management, I simply report the post and note to Houzz management the misuse of their usurped authority with a screen shot before it can be "accidentally" changed.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I'll keep correcting bad information when I see it. If you see a pattern, you should probably analyze the errors in the initial statements before speaking. You should also check back to see how often the name-calling and misuse of authority remains in place.

In my books, anytime you can NOT use pesticides, it's a good thing.

Minor damage, whether insects or mechanical, is a given most years. And spraying insecticides without weighing the cost of beneficial insects you may destroy is something everyone should think about.

Just saying.

Any chance it was birds or cats?